Today we have a very special treat, Christoph Bungert has kindly agreed to answer some questions about the global Stereoscopy community for us and his experiences!

Christoph was born in 1967 and lives in Germany. He started the "Stereoscopic 3D Homepage" in 1995, and the domain Stereo3D.com followed soon after. Cristoph is interested in everything to do with stereoscopy, but has a special obsession for hardware and stereoscopic 3D playback.

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How did you get into stereoscopy?
In the early 90’s I got interested in virtual reality and dreamt of a VR-headset with head tracking. I realised these were expensive, uncomfortable and delivered bad image quality. 3D-glasses were the superior and affordable alternative.

Why did you decide to create a stereoscopy website?
In 1995 I bought my first 3D-LC-shutterglasses and it turned out there was virtually no information or software available on the internet. So I decided to publish the little info I had myself. This sparked some interest from consumers and producers alike. Suddenly hard- and software companies started sending samples of their products for review. So it took off.

How big would you say is the stereoscopic community is worldwide?
It’s a matter of definition who is part of the community. I think the group of active fans has grown, but is still relatively small. Most people are indifferent, then there is a large group of casual consumers, who make a conscious decision to buy a 3D product, let’s say a 3D-TV set.
It’s even possible the current 3D-rush scared away parts of the stereoscopy fans, because the exclusivity is lost. As one stereographer put it on a 3D-expo in Germany a few years ago: “If 3D goes mainstream I have to look for a new hobby.”

What are some key points in time that you would say increased people's awareness of stereoscopy?
So far there were 3 large waves in stereoscopy which reached the general public. Around 1900 it was the stereoscope which was in many households. In the 1950’s it was the first 3D-movie-hype accompanied by 3D-comics and some other products. Now we’re in the 2nd 3D-movie-wave fueled by the digitalisation of cinema. We have to see if it stays. This isn’t decided yet. I hope we don’t have to wait for another 50 years for the next mainstream wave.

Who's your favourite stereographer and why?
I have no one specific in mind, but usually the best stereoscopic imagery comes from the members of the stereo clubs around the world. They are in it with their heart, they follow the ‘golden rules’ of stereoscopy and they usually know their stuff better than most ‘professionals’.

What's the most common misconception people have about stereoscopy that you'd correct if you could?
There are many. The most common and most annoying misconceptions for me are:

• 1: '(Stereoscopic-) 3D is just a gimmick, effect, illusion or fad.’
• 2: ‘We can fix it in the mix. 2D-to-3D-conversion is a good alternative to shooting in 3D.’
• 3: ‘In the 50’s people were watching 3D-movies with red-green glasses on.’
• 4: ‘For really real 3D some kind of holographic display technology is required.’
• 5: ‘Only pop-out effects are cool. Things have to come out of the screen.’

What I think is true:

• 1: Stereoscopic vision is the natural way we see the world. Do you think ‘color’ is also just a gimmick?
• 2: This is most controversial. A monoscopic image, like a mono-recording in audio, lacks information compared to a stereo image. The information just isn’t there and can never be entirely restored. What movie studios and TV-set manufacturers are doing isn’t ‘conversion’ in the usual sense. Let’s call it ‘treatment’ for now. They do it for a reason - money!
• 3: In the 50’s most 3D movies were shown with polarization technology, just like today. Hence the name of the company who delivered the polarization 3D glasses back then - ‘Polaroid’.
• 4: Two images is all it takes to potentially deliver a realistic ‘being there’ impression. You don’t have to go around it.
• 5: Out of screen effects should be used scarcely. They are straining for the eyes to watch. Some rules need to be obeyed when out-of-screen effects are used.

Other than Stereo3D.com, what are some online resources you'd suggest?
Check the 3D web ring - www.ringsurf.com/ring/2eyes/
Look for the national and international stereoscopic clubs, such as the ISU, NSA, DGS (Germany).
How about a good book about stereoscopy? Like the books by Bernard Mendiburu, Gerhard Kuhn, Lenny Lipton (hard to get).

What's the best type of stereo monitor and 3D you'd recommend?
We can discuss this forever - and that’s what I actually do a lot.
All systems and technologies available today have their specific advantages and disadvantages. No matter if they are based on polarization, shutter, color-spectrum filters, autostereoscopy or else.
No matter if we’re talking about monitors, TV’s, home- and theatre-projectors, head-sets, hand-helds...
I really don’t have any personal favorite any more. Currently I still use shutter.
By the way, for PC-games there’s still no real alternative to the NVidia solution.

What's some advice you'd give to someone wanting to get into stereoscopic imagery?
For a start you can try something you can watch with your bare eyes, like a small free-view stereo pair or a random dot stereogram. Or get a stereo-viewer with lenses for prints or slides. It’s fascinating, crisp, bright, ghost-free and cheap.

Take your first own stereo still photographs with a single camera. Search the web for the ‘golden rules’ of stereography.

What's your favourite anaglyph-safe colour?
What do you mean by anaglyph-safe? A color which can be easily retained in anaglyphs? Well, it was sky-blue for me, because the eye which has the blue filter becomes dominant and the color impression of let’s say sky and even grass seems realistic. However I don’t like anaglyph. Anaglyph is a kind of marketing disaster for stereoscopy. It’s not really satisfying, but it’s in the collective mind of the public. As such it gives 3D a bad reputation.

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